The name of the scarce 39 metre long Swan could hardly be better chosen up here in Finland, around 200 kilometres north of the Arctic Circle. It is a few days after midsummer, the longest day of the year, and midsummer here obviously means: "Be Cool". The thermometer reads four degrees Celsius at 8.30 in the morning on the deck of the second largest Swan ever built. "Our largest yacht ever built is the Swan 131 'Aristarchos', which is 42 metres long and which we launched back in 2006," explains Nautor CEO Giovanni Pomati as we watch the crew prepare the ship, named after a blockbuster starring Uma Thurmann and John Travolta, for departure. When asked what the name is all about, the managing director of the company, which has been in business since shipyard recently belonging to Sanlorenzo know: "The owner is a passionate cinema fan, his second boat, a Clubswan 50, is called 'Django', after a Tarantino film."
The difference between the "Aristarchos", which was launched 19 years ago, and the new flagship is the positioning. The new 38.98 metre model crowns the current Swan Maxi series, which includes the Swan 88, 98, 108 and 128 - all designed as semi-custom yachts and therefore, in the broadest sense, series-produced vessels with a high degree of personalisation. The shipyard in the far north recently received a lot of attention thanks to the headline "Hollywood star Tom Cruise orders a "Swan 108". "No comment" is the only response from Pomati and his team.
A Swan 120 and 108 served as a model
But back to "Be Cool", which, with a length of 38.98 metres and a displacement of 136 tonnes (with full tanks), is by far the largest model in the Swan Maxi line. "The owner previously had a Swan 98 with an owner's cabin in the stern and originally intended to switch to a motor yacht," says Giovanni Pomati. But then he saw the Swan 120 "Audrey the First" with a master suite in the bow and was thrilled. He wrote to the shipyard and asked for a maxi-Swan in the style of the Swan 108only bigger. The Swan 108 is Nautor's first maxi, created by Germán Frers and exterior designer Lucio Micheletti. The architect lent the 36-metre sloop a dynamic touch and brought back traditional forms. The development of the Swan 128 giant was an enormous challenge for the entire shipyard and design team due to its technical complexity and sheer size. In a few weeks' time, the 8.65 metre wide Slup will start her journey to her home port of Porto Cervo. In addition to extensive summer cruises, regattas are also planned for this summer, and in March 2026 the yacht will go to the Starting line of the St. Barth Bucketwhich YACHT and BOOTE EXCLUSIV readers will once again receive as part of our Readers' trip on board Sea Cloud II from the front row.
Design and construction
Yacht designer Germán Frers was responsible for the construction of the Swan 128. The deck and superstructure were designed by Micheletti+Partners, who further developed the shapes introduced on the smaller Swan 108. The interior design was created by Misa Poggi in collaboration with the shipyard's own design and product development team. Here too, the Swan 108 served as a source of inspiration. The design of the Swan 128 focussed even more strongly on performance, aesthetics and the interior concept. Particular attention was paid to the owner's area, which takes up a large part of the foredeck and can be fully customised without any structural restrictions.
"Happy Place" at 6 to 12 knots TWS
The Swan 128 perfectly embodies the Swan concept of a sporty cruiser - a yacht designed for both extended cruising and international maxi racing, without compromising on its core characteristics. The twin rudder system ensures optimum control even at high speeds and provides precise feedback. The moderate heel angle of around 20° in optimum conditions significantly increases comfort on board under sail and allows easy utilisation of all areas of the yacht. With an upwind sail area of 845 square metres, the sail plan promises impressive distances and high speeds even in lighter winds, while remaining easy to control in demanding conditions. During the extensive test sail on the Gulf of Bothnia with light winds between 6 and 10 knots, the beautifully shaped 39 metre swan showed what it is made of. With 6 knots of true wind and an angle to the apparent wind (AWA) of 30 degrees, the extra-large Sailmon displays on the mast showed a boat speed of 7 knots. "Between 6 and 12 knots TWS is her 'happy place', this is where she really flies," reveals skipper Luca Sera, who is still familiarising himself with his new workplace.
Easy sail handling
The lack of a cutter rig is unusual for a maxi yacht. "We can only set one headsail on the 58 metre Southern Spars mast, either a gennaker, genoa or jib. To avoid having to use backstays, the owner also decided against a square-top mainsail and instead asked the riggers for a three metre higher mast to still achieve the same sail area," adds project manager Kim Sundquist. The bowsprit was also cancelled by explicit request. Five crew members will work permanently on board "Be Cool", although not all hands will be needed on deck for sailing thanks to the self-tacking jib and sheets that run on capstan winches. "We don't normally install a self-tacking jib on our models," Sundquist explains. "The owner explicitly requested it in order to maximise sail handling when cruising." At 8 knots TWS, the 136 tonnes with mainsail and genoa briefly accelerate to over ten knots, which causes the crew in the cockpit to cheer.
Deck and interior fittings
The Swan 128 has a raised saloon and a flat deckhouse, giving the new Nautor model a sporty and dynamic appearance. Designer Lucio Micheletti focussed on a perfect balance of volume, shapes and details. The result is an elegant blend of traditional styling and modern elements, enhanced by an interesting interplay of materials that creates a lively effect and conveys a sense of speed. The raised saloon, accessed via an extra-wide companionway, benefits from three levels of natural light and offers panoramic views. In the standard configuration, the two main areas - lounge and dining area - are clearly separated, with the layout allowing for numerous customisation options.
A detailed yacht portrait as part of our "The special boat" section will follow in an upcoming issue of YACHT and then, of course, here on yacht.com
Technical specifications Swan 128 "Be Cool":
- Overall length: 38.98 m
- Length waterline: 35.94 m
- Width max: 8.65 m
- Draught (standard keel): 4,70 m
- Draught (telescopic keel, optional): 5.70 m / 3.70 m
- Displacement (light): 122.8 kg
- Displacement (loaded): 136.2 kg
- Ballast: 39.5 tonnes
- IG: 48.00 m
- J: 15.37 m
- P: 47.50 m
- E: 15.80 m
- Foresail: 368.9 m²
- Mainsail (ORC): 443.8 m²
- Genoa (ORC): 401.5 m²
- Asymmetric spinnaker: 1180 m²
- Fuel: 5500 litres
- AdBlue: 550 litres
- Water: 2650 litres
- Diesel generators: 2 x 230/400V 32kW 3-phase
